Vilus takes the ships butting as signal to jump over, landing on the port side of Marigold's ship he runs toward the center firing off two eldritch blasts as the closest non charmed cannoneer to Joren (C3?)
(17 to hit, 7 force dam. 24 to hit, 7 force dam)
As that cannoneer takes heavy damage Vilus shouts out, "Get off the ship Now, unless you want to be on it at the bottom of this harbour! Your dead bodies tend to blow holes in hulls."
And with that he finishes his movement just before the stairs descending to the lower deck.
Joren and Vilus board the enemy ship and Malachi pulls a pinch of fine sand from his belt pouch and rubs it between his fingers, willing the crew of the last cannon to sleep. “Don’t worry about the crew, we’ll handle them. Get below and stop Marigold before it’s too late!”
(if C6 is still awake, he will use a bonus action to telepathically shove/pull him 5 feet towards Malachi, hoping to pull him into the water. DC15 Strength save.)
The 6th cultist looks around as two of his allies drop to the floor snoring, and he quickly rounds on Malachi, only to feel himself pushed by an invisible force. He trips over one of the sleeping cultists and tumbles over the railing into the water.
The last remaining cultist on deck, like the others, shows the bulging stretchmarks on his bare arms, and his face is clearly borrowed. His fanaticism conflicts with the intrusive feelings of identity that seem to accompany taking another's visage as his allies drop one by one. Vilus' words tip him over the edge. Both figuratively and literally. He tosses down his sword and leaps over the side, swimming hard for the floating wreckage trailing behind the ship.
"You know," Samir huffs as he makes to follow Joren and Vilus onto the other vessel, clutching his bag to his side protectively. "At no point in the my life did I ever think to myself 'You know Samir, it would be lovely to get into a naval battle today.'" With far less grace than his companions, the artificer makes his way to the cultist vessel, keeping alert for threats and letting the more capable individuals take the lead.
Joren grunts philosophically at Samir's sardonic reflection on the illusion of choice.
Few of us choose battle. Battle chooses us. Or so Joren remembers Corporal Pyke observing the night before the Battle of Dragontail Narrows, over an illicitly-shared swig of brandy amidst the fog of the Veil howling past the camp. He also remembers seeing Pyke the next day, face-up on the stony soil. Grey eyes staring wide at the sky with half his chest sheared off. Joren grimaces and thinks of Jean Lou. Battle has much to answer for...
"Captain Chemain," he calls back. "If you send your men over, have some of them tie up the sleeping ones."
Joren summons his echo (Bonus Action) as he opens the hatch (Free Action) that Marigold had disappeared down, standing back and leading with his echo as he remembers the never-ending booby traps that the cultists seemed wont to set for pursuers.
If he encounters no immediate threat, first the echo (ten feet ahead), then Joren proceed down the hatch, leaving it open behind him.
(Joren'sAction and any remaining Movementwill depend on what he notices, including 10' Blindsight and 60' Darkvision, once through the hatch.)
Joren gets to the bottom of the stairs with his echo leading the way. Here, the water is lapping at the side of the ship not far from the small openings in the wall for the oars to stick through. To his left, Joren sees the other side of the wreckage that destroyed the back half of the ship and swallowed up several of the rowing benches. But from what Joren can see of the bodies amidst the wreckage, the rowers there had already been killed by Malachi's magic. Strips of flesh are missing in places, and fingers are blackened from frostbite in others.
To Joren's right, however, toward the front of the ship, he sees 16 shirtless cultists, all looking exactly like Jon Shep, standing before their benches. All of them are sliding masks into place over their faces. A couple of them are finished securing their masks, and are now bringing their signature daggers up to their throats. Joren remembers those masks from the fight with Andra. In a few moments, this ship is going to be filled with angry walking corpses.
Behind them, Joren sees a door slowly swinging shut. Marigold must have just passed through after giving the order for these men to martyr themselves.
"The surviving rowers are slitting their throats, commanded by Marigold, who is fleeing past them through a door towards the bow of the ship. Sixteen undead assassins incoming." Joren's call back to his companions is matter-of-fact and conversational, as if observing that some rations have spoiled.
"Are any of you having power left to destroy them in bunches? Supposing one of the cannoneers met their end down here, the death-explosion might suffice, but would also be sinking the ship, most likely. Could also try boarding Chemain's vessel again, back off and let Marigold's ship explode."
While he waits to see if the others have any good ideas, Joren readies himself to step back out of the hatch. Perhaps the stop-and-start movement of entering, then leaving the area below causes his non-lethal attacks from his echo's position to be off balance.
Attack 1: non-lethal on R14 from echo's position using Dunamis Blade To hit: 10 Damage: 12 non-lethal slashing (magical)
Attack 2: non-lethal on R14 (assuming they are still up) from echo's position using Dunamis Blade To hit: 12 Damage: 15 non-lethal slashing (magical)
Joren then pulls the echo back up above decks behind him. The echo remains guarding the open hatch as Joren himself steps back.
"16 is a waste of time, we need to get to marigold now before she teleports out or something, can we trap them in there and I'll see if Gavelin here can punch a hole in the deck above Marigold's room?" Vilus suggests, looking to see if a hatch could be secured over the stairs to the lower decks.
Though the first swing misses, the backswing of Joren's Dunamis blade knocks one of the cultists upside the head, knocking the mask askew. He falls over his bench unconscious. As Joren gets to the top of the stairs and looks back down into the depths, he feels a presence over his shoulder. He turns to see the charmed cultist standing there with scimitar in hand, looking around for any threats to Joren.
Ashley sees Joren disappear below deck and the others head over to Marigold's ship. She has a fleeting thought of telling Chemain to just turn round and forget all of this and it makes her smile, yeah right, and miss out on all this fun?
She happily jumps aboard with the rest and seeing that Joren has reappeared and hearing what Vilus says she runs over to the hatch, closes it and attempts to lock it (action?). She grins at Joren's new friend, "So, enjoying your new company?" she teases.
Based on Joren's description of where marigold has gone, Vilus gets a good javelin throwing distance from where she might be under the deck of the ship, clambering up on to rubble if needs be to get a good vantage point "Point out where it is and stand clear!" He asks of Joren and if the soldier obliges, Vilus winds up and launches Gavelin at that point "Do your thing Gavelin, I'll get you back in a moment ZON!"
Gavelin draws power directly from Vilus and charges up, letting loose the item speeds up in flight turning into a lightning bolt in mid air. (4 to hit critical failure, 15 lightning damage)
"SALLY FORTH! I RIDE ON THE BACKS OF TEMPESTS! I DANCE ON THE PEAKS OF MOUNTAINS! I SWIM THROUGH THE-- ow ****." Gavelin thuds lightly into the wooden deck, bouncing off instead of digging in. A light crackle of static discharges around it. "... I MEAN, JUST YOU WAIT, WHILE I SUMMON MY WRATH!"
Nothing happens.
Then a series of eruptions from the opposite end of the ship, underneath the rubble where the cultists' bodies had been buried. The broken timbers and wreckage under Vilus buck upward and outward, knocking him off his feet.
And above the roar of the explosion can be heard the sound of Gavelin cackling. "Yes, YES! FOR AFTER LIGHTNING, THERE MUST ALWAYS COME THUNDER. THAT EXPLOSION WAS ME! I DID THAT!"
Then Marigold's ship starts to list, tilting back. The sound of water rushing into a ragged gap in the hull. The back portion of the deck is nearly missing altogether now.
"ah shi-!!" Vilus manages to yell out in surprise before he is cut off by his one good leg being taken out from underneath him and immediately landing directly on his face.
Malachi flinches and ducks down as the explosion rocks the other ship. He hesitates slightly I never thought I would jump onto a sinking ship! and leaps onto the deck of Marigold’s ship, rushing to join the others and helping Vilus to his feet. “Leave her to sink to the bottom with the rest of the ship.”
At the edge of the splintered hole leading to the lower deck and through into the ocean, a pair of hands reach over and scrabble about on the floorboards. Chunks of necrotic skin slough off, and the owner of the hands lets out a brainless moan, but he does not manage to climb up to the top deck.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
As the ship bucks and buckles beneath him, Samir drops to his knees, slapping his hands to the deck to keep from falling over. Eyes wide behind his spectacles, he stares as what looks like an entire section of the vessel crumbles away into the sea, saltwater spray splashing up to mix with the smoke thrown up by the explosion itself.
"Oh hells.. I think we need to go now!"
Somehow, Samir's eyes widen further as a necrotized hand grasps feebly at the broken edge of the decking, scrabbling for purchase before falling back. Scrambling back to his feet, the artificer moves carefully back towards their own ship, an ember of flame blossoming in his hand and at the ready.
Readied action to cast Firebolt if one of these zombies looks like it's going to make it onto the deck. 17 to hit and 10 fire damage.
More hands appear at the edge, making 8 pairs in total. And then, partially supported by the press of bodies, two masked undead cultists scramble over the edge of the deck. Samir's flame strikes a singed hole through the chest of the first zombie up. It doesn't register the damage to its body, but after two steps, it collapses to the ground. It struggles to rise again, but it seems the damage was too great. It collapses and does not stir.
The second zombie (ZO6) moves with surprising quickness toward Malachi and Vilus, it still holds a recently bloodied blade in its hand, but it doesn't seem to realize that. When it swings its arm at Vilus, it only uses its spongy forearm.
Vilus takes the ships butting as signal to jump over, landing on the port side of Marigold's ship he runs toward the center firing off two eldritch blasts as the closest non charmed cannoneer to Joren (C3?)
(17 to hit, 7 force dam. 24 to hit, 7 force dam)
As that cannoneer takes heavy damage Vilus shouts out, "Get off the ship Now, unless you want to be on it at the bottom of this harbour! Your dead bodies tend to blow holes in hulls."
And with that he finishes his movement just before the stairs descending to the lower deck.
The first blast caves in the man's (C3) knee, bringing him down just as the second knocks his head to the side. He collapses senselessly on the deck.
Joren and Vilus board the enemy ship and Malachi pulls a pinch of fine sand from his belt pouch and rubs it between his fingers, willing the crew of the last cannon to sleep. “Don’t worry about the crew, we’ll handle them. Get below and stop Marigold before it’s too late!”
(if C6 is still awake, he will use a bonus action to telepathically shove/pull him 5 feet towards Malachi, hoping to pull him into the water. DC15 Strength save.)
The 6th cultist looks around as two of his allies drop to the floor snoring, and he quickly rounds on Malachi, only to feel himself pushed by an invisible force. He trips over one of the sleeping cultists and tumbles over the railing into the water.
(Nat 1 on strength save)
The last remaining cultist on deck, like the others, shows the bulging stretchmarks on his bare arms, and his face is clearly borrowed. His fanaticism conflicts with the intrusive feelings of identity that seem to accompany taking another's visage as his allies drop one by one. Vilus' words tip him over the edge. Both figuratively and literally. He tosses down his sword and leaps over the side, swimming hard for the floating wreckage trailing behind the ship.
"onwards and downwards apparently... Quickly those two likely won't be asleep for long!"
"You know," Samir huffs as he makes to follow Joren and Vilus onto the other vessel, clutching his bag to his side protectively. "At no point in the my life did I ever think to myself 'You know Samir, it would be lovely to get into a naval battle today.'" With far less grace than his companions, the artificer makes his way to the cultist vessel, keeping alert for threats and letting the more capable individuals take the lead.
Following the others, taking the Dodge action.
Joren grunts philosophically at Samir's sardonic reflection on the illusion of choice.
Few of us choose battle. Battle chooses us. Or so Joren remembers Corporal Pyke observing the night before the Battle of Dragontail Narrows, over an illicitly-shared swig of brandy amidst the fog of the Veil howling past the camp. He also remembers seeing Pyke the next day, face-up on the stony soil. Grey eyes staring wide at the sky with half his chest sheared off. Joren grimaces and thinks of Jean Lou. Battle has much to answer for...
"Captain Chemain," he calls back. "If you send your men over, have some of them tie up the sleeping ones."
Joren summons his echo (Bonus Action) as he opens the hatch (Free Action) that Marigold had disappeared down, standing back and leading with his echo as he remembers the never-ending booby traps that the cultists seemed wont to set for pursuers.
If he encounters no immediate threat, first the echo (ten feet ahead), then Joren proceed down the hatch, leaving it open behind him.
(Joren's Action and any remaining Movement will depend on what he notices, including 10' Blindsight and 60' Darkvision, once through the hatch.)
Tanis(Ranger1): Shiverquill's Tempest City | Xarian(Fighter2): NioNSwiper's Tyranny of Dragons
Dyson/Eleo(TwilightCleric4): Vos' Beyond the Veil | Soren(ShepherdDruid5): Bartjeebus' Ravenloft | Ophelia(WildMagicSorcerer4): Ashen_Age's Risen from the Sands
Joren(EchoKnightFighter6): NotDrizzt's Simple Request | Sabetha(MercyMonk3): Bedlymn's Murder Court | Seri(NatureCleric3/DivineSoulSorcerer1): Bartjeebus' Greyhawk
Joren gets to the bottom of the stairs with his echo leading the way. Here, the water is lapping at the side of the ship not far from the small openings in the wall for the oars to stick through. To his left, Joren sees the other side of the wreckage that destroyed the back half of the ship and swallowed up several of the rowing benches. But from what Joren can see of the bodies amidst the wreckage, the rowers there had already been killed by Malachi's magic. Strips of flesh are missing in places, and fingers are blackened from frostbite in others.
To Joren's right, however, toward the front of the ship, he sees 16 shirtless cultists, all looking exactly like Jon Shep, standing before their benches. All of them are sliding masks into place over their faces. A couple of them are finished securing their masks, and are now bringing their signature daggers up to their throats. Joren remembers those masks from the fight with Andra. In a few moments, this ship is going to be filled with angry walking corpses.
Behind them, Joren sees a door slowly swinging shut. Marigold must have just passed through after giving the order for these men to martyr themselves.
"The surviving rowers are slitting their throats, commanded by Marigold, who is fleeing past them through a door towards the bow of the ship. Sixteen undead assassins incoming." Joren's call back to his companions is matter-of-fact and conversational, as if observing that some rations have spoiled.
"Are any of you having power left to destroy them in bunches? Supposing one of the cannoneers met their end down here, the death-explosion might suffice, but would also be sinking the ship, most likely. Could also try boarding Chemain's vessel again, back off and let Marigold's ship explode."
While he waits to see if the others have any good ideas, Joren readies himself to step back out of the hatch. Perhaps the stop-and-start movement of entering, then leaving the area below causes his non-lethal attacks from his echo's position to be off balance.
Attack 1: non-lethal on R14 from echo's position using Dunamis Blade
To hit: 10
Damage: 12 non-lethal slashing (magical)
Attack 2: non-lethal on R14 (assuming they are still up) from echo's position using Dunamis Blade
To hit: 12
Damage: 15 non-lethal slashing (magical)
Joren then pulls the echo back up above decks behind him. The echo remains guarding the open hatch as Joren himself steps back.
Tanis(Ranger1): Shiverquill's Tempest City | Xarian(Fighter2): NioNSwiper's Tyranny of Dragons
Dyson/Eleo(TwilightCleric4): Vos' Beyond the Veil | Soren(ShepherdDruid5): Bartjeebus' Ravenloft | Ophelia(WildMagicSorcerer4): Ashen_Age's Risen from the Sands
Joren(EchoKnightFighter6): NotDrizzt's Simple Request | Sabetha(MercyMonk3): Bedlymn's Murder Court | Seri(NatureCleric3/DivineSoulSorcerer1): Bartjeebus' Greyhawk
"16 is a waste of time, we need to get to marigold now before she teleports out or something, can we trap them in there and I'll see if Gavelin here can punch a hole in the deck above Marigold's room?" Vilus suggests, looking to see if a hatch could be secured over the stairs to the lower decks.
Though the first swing misses, the backswing of Joren's Dunamis blade knocks one of the cultists upside the head, knocking the mask askew. He falls over his bench unconscious. As Joren gets to the top of the stairs and looks back down into the depths, he feels a presence over his shoulder. He turns to see the charmed cultist standing there with scimitar in hand, looking around for any threats to Joren.
Ashley sees Joren disappear below deck and the others head over to Marigold's ship. She has a fleeting thought of telling Chemain to just turn round and forget all of this and it makes her smile, yeah right, and miss out on all this fun?
She happily jumps aboard with the rest and seeing that Joren has reappeared and hearing what Vilus says she runs over to the hatch, closes it and attempts to lock it (action?). She grins at Joren's new friend, "So, enjoying your new company?" she teases.
Based on Joren's description of where marigold has gone, Vilus gets a good javelin throwing distance from where she might be under the deck of the ship, clambering up on to rubble if needs be to get a good vantage point "Point out where it is and stand clear!" He asks of Joren and if the soldier obliges, Vilus winds up and launches Gavelin at that point "Do your thing Gavelin, I'll get you back in a moment ZON!"
Gavelin draws power directly from Vilus and charges up, letting loose the item speeds up in flight turning into a lightning bolt in mid air. (4 to hit critical failure, 15 lightning damage)
"SALLY FORTH! I RIDE ON THE BACKS OF TEMPESTS! I DANCE ON THE PEAKS OF MOUNTAINS! I SWIM THROUGH THE-- ow ****." Gavelin thuds lightly into the wooden deck, bouncing off instead of digging in. A light crackle of static discharges around it. "... I MEAN, JUST YOU WAIT, WHILE I SUMMON MY WRATH!"
Nothing happens.
Then a series of eruptions from the opposite end of the ship, underneath the rubble where the cultists' bodies had been buried. The broken timbers and wreckage under Vilus buck upward and outward, knocking him off his feet.
And above the roar of the explosion can be heard the sound of Gavelin cackling. "Yes, YES! FOR AFTER LIGHTNING, THERE MUST ALWAYS COME THUNDER. THAT EXPLOSION WAS ME! I DID THAT!"
Then Marigold's ship starts to list, tilting back. The sound of water rushing into a ragged gap in the hull. The back portion of the deck is nearly missing altogether now.
"ah shi-!!" Vilus manages to yell out in surprise before he is cut off by his one good leg being taken out from underneath him and immediately landing directly on his face.
Malachi flinches and ducks down as the explosion rocks the other ship. He hesitates slightly I never thought I would jump onto a sinking ship! and leaps onto the deck of Marigold’s ship, rushing to join the others and helping Vilus to his feet. “Leave her to sink to the bottom with the rest of the ship.”
At the edge of the splintered hole leading to the lower deck and through into the ocean, a pair of hands reach over and scrabble about on the floorboards. Chunks of necrotic skin slough off, and the owner of the hands lets out a brainless moan, but he does not manage to climb up to the top deck.
As the ship bucks and buckles beneath him, Samir drops to his knees, slapping his hands to the deck to keep from falling over. Eyes wide behind his spectacles, he stares as what looks like an entire section of the vessel crumbles away into the sea, saltwater spray splashing up to mix with the smoke thrown up by the explosion itself.
"Oh hells.. I think we need to go now!"
Somehow, Samir's eyes widen further as a necrotized hand grasps feebly at the broken edge of the decking, scrabbling for purchase before falling back. Scrambling back to his feet, the artificer moves carefully back towards their own ship, an ember of flame blossoming in his hand and at the ready.
Readied action to cast Firebolt if one of these zombies looks like it's going to make it onto the deck. 17 to hit and 10 fire damage.
More hands appear at the edge, making 8 pairs in total. And then, partially supported by the press of bodies, two masked undead cultists scramble over the edge of the deck. Samir's flame strikes a singed hole through the chest of the first zombie up. It doesn't register the damage to its body, but after two steps, it collapses to the ground. It struggles to rise again, but it seems the damage was too great. It collapses and does not stir.
The second zombie (ZO6) moves with surprising quickness toward Malachi and Vilus, it still holds a recently bloodied blade in its hand, but it doesn't seem to realize that. When it swings its arm at Vilus, it only uses its spongy forearm.